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Shared Jan 27, 2012 comment

January’s Update: Goals for 2012

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 27, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

In early January, I shared about my Goals for 2012 and promised an update at the end of the month. I was so encouraged in going through this list to realize the progress I’d made on my goals, even though it was a whirlwind month with lots of new things and new challenges with my husband’s business and my book launch.

It’s amazing how mapping out a plan and then being intentional to chip away at it bit by bit can really start to add up to some significant progress! Here’s my goal list with updates in brackets next to each goal item that I/we made some progress on:

Personal
Read through the Bible in a year. {I’ve finished all the reading up to today–yay!}
Read through the 24 books on my 2012 booklist. {Finished both books on my January list + 1 on my February list!}
Listen to 12 audiobooks. {Working on finishing listening to January’s audiobook.}
Run in at least one 5K race. {Almost finished with week 3 of Couch to 5K program.}
Complete the Couch to 10K program.
Tackle 12 Do-It-Yourself Projects. {I made Homemade Detangler this week.}
Focus on one habit per month. {Making some headway on January’s goal. Not as much as I’d hoped, but I’m trying at least!}
Learn to use my new DSLR camera (huge surprise Christmas present from Jesse!!) & improve my photography skills.
Take at least one photo a day and put together a page every week for my Project Life album. {I almost have the first 3 weeks of January done.}
Memorize Colossians using the plan and free download here. {I’ve almost memorized the first four verses, so I’m a little behind, but I’m hoping to catch up in the next two weeks.}

Marriage
Go on the Love Like You Mean It Cruise.
Go on two Marriage Retreats (overnight trips sans children for planning, talking, goal accountability).
Have monthly date nights. {We’ve had 3 dates in January so far!}
Read four books together. {We’ve read a few pages of one book together so I guess that counts for something!}
Read at least 3 books on marriage.

Children/Homeschooling
Continue regular dates/outings with each of the children individually. {I took each of the children on individual dates in January.}
Continue Grace and Truth memory book. {The children have memorized five verses plus two verses of one hymn this month.}
Ice-skating lessons for all three children. {Started these two weeks ago.}
Swimming lessons for all three children.
Finish second grade, begin third grade with Kathrynne. {Plugging away at this!}
Finish kindergarten, begin first grade with Kaitlynn. {Plugging away at this}
Start preschool with Silas.
Go on at least one field trip every month. {We went on one field trip this month.}
Go on at least one family vacation.
Finish at least 15 read-aloud books. {We’ve almost finished two read-aloud books in January.}

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family
Write at least two handwritten notes every month to encourage someone. {I wrote & mailed three handwritten notes this month.}
Continue being involved in our local church, homeschool group, young couple’s group, and blogging accountability group. {Ongoing}
Continue with weekly get-togethers with both sides of our extended family. {Ongoing}

Business/Blogging
Continue to take Sundays off from blogging/business work. {Ongoing}
Continue keeping strict Office Hours for the business/blogging time each day. {Working on this–making a tiny bit of progress!}
Switch to a paperless planning system. {This is going well for me, though I’ve decided I’m probably never going to be 100% paperless for all things.}
Follow my weekly blogging plan. {I didn’t do this perfectly in January, but I adhered to it pretty closely.}
Plan blog posts out at least a month in advance. {Not quite there, but I’m at least being much more intentional with my blogging this year than I’ve ever been before!}
Write and schedule blog posts at least a week in advance. {Making some headway with this, though I’m far from where I want to be!}

Financial
Continue to tithe 10% of our income. {Ongoing}
Give generously to needs in our community and around the world, as God prompts us. {Ongoing}
Pay cash for a new-to-us vehicle to replace our family’s van. {We were able to set aside a good amount toward this goal this month. Our van continues to have a number of issues, so I’m happy we decided to have this goal this year–instead of waiting a few more years.}
Finish saving for and purchase a rental property with cash. {We were able to set aside some for this in January.}

How Are You Doing on Your Goals for 2012?

If you’ve posted goals for 2012, I’d love for you to post an update on how things are going and share your link in the comments (Mr. Linky is refusing to let me add the HTML to this post for some reason!). Let’s encourage one another to live lives of intention and purpose!

Shared Jan 27, 2012 comment

Good Reads: Loving the Little Years

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 27, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I really enjoyed Loving the Little Years. It’s not a book with lots of practical, hands-on advice, but it’s a book the deals with the heart issues we moms face.

I didn’t agree with the author on all points (I’m not really sure that I ever do, though!) and think we have to be careful when reading parenting books because what works for one family or one child isn’t necessarily what will or should work for another family or child. That said, I was convicted, and inspired by Loving the Little Years.

It made me really step back and re-examine my own heart and how I am responding to and discipling my children on a daily basis. Sometimes, it’s easier (in the moment) to just slap band-aids and quick fixes onto behavior and attitude issues, instead of really taking the time to deal with the heart issues and struggles our children are facing.

Loving the Little Years challenges moms to really delve down to the heart of the matter. As the author says, “The state of your heart is the state of your home.”

Have you read any good books recently?

Shared Jan 27, 2012 comment

Join an online Book Club!

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 27, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Are you interested in reading through The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget with others and sharing insights, tips, struggles, and victories along the way? There are two online book clubs currently:

Amy Bayliss is hosting a live online 1o-week book club on Tuesdays at 12 EST. If you can’t attend the online live event, you can watch the recordings later. To sign up, just enter your email address at the sign up form here.

Amy’s Finer Things is hosting a book club on her blog and Facebook Page–going chapter-by-chapter through the book and giving suggested assignments and asking discussion questions. You can read her first post here. Be sure to subscribe to her blog for updates and discussion questions and follow along on her Facebook Page for more discussions and accountability.

Also, be sure to check out Amanda’s post on what she gleaned from chapter one and how she’s practically implementing it into her own life.

Shared Jan 27, 2012 comment

Taking two hours to research a warranty saved me $275!

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 27, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I loved this email from Bethany:

My car was recently due for inspection. After the inspection, they told me I needed four new tires — something I hadn’t expected. I opted not to immediately get tires and do a little research first since I knew my tires didn’t have many miles on them and were less than two years old.

I found the receipt from my previous tire purchase less than two years ago and the warranty that came with the tires. The warranty stated that the tires I had purchased should last 40,000 miles with proper maintenance.

At this point it had only been 20,000 miles, so I decided to discuss this issue with the tire company. They informed me I would need to show proof of proper tire maintenance – which I had – and that they would be able to credit me back half the cost of the original tires.

This gave me a $275 credit towards a new set of tires!

Before I started following Money Saving Mom® I would have simply purchased new tires without even thinking to contact the tire company. This extra research took maybe 1-2 hours… and saved me $275. I’ll take a job where I can make $137.50 per hour any day!

So remember…

We have warranties for a reason: it is because the company believes the product will last beyond some set point and when it doesn’t the consumer has the right to recuperate any loss from the product.

Proper record keeping and proper maintenance are the key to being able to recuperate lost cost when something doesn’t hold up as it should have.

Saving money is more than coupons — there are many other ways to keep our hard-earned cash in our pockets.

Bethany is currently finishing up her MBA and was encouraged by her husband’s job loss more than two years ago (he is since re-employed) and her desire to go back to school to find ways to save money everywhere possible.

photo credit

Shared Jan 26, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself Experiment: Homemade Hair Detangler

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Both of my daughters have wavy hair. I love it, but it’s taken some getting used to–especially since I have pretty near straw straight hair. We’ve purchased numerous products over the years: curl spray, frizz spray, gels, and lots of detangling spray.

Because of this, I was quite excited when I saw that you could make your own homemade hair detangler with just conditioner and water. I don’t know why the thought never crossed my mind before, but I’m grateful to have stumbled upon this blog post describing how to make it.

And after reading the simple instructions, I wondered why on earth I’d ever let myself actually pay for hair detangler when I could be making my own for pennies?! It’s kind of like the light-bulb moment I had when I discovered how simple it was to make homemade foaming soap.

At any rate, now that I know how easy it is, I’ll never go back to buying hair detangler again.

Here’s how to make it:

Homemade Hair Detangler

1. Squirt a teaspoon dollop of conditioner into a spray bottle (if using a smaller spray bottle like I show above, use a half teaspoon.) This is the perfect way to make use of some of those free shampoo/conditioner samples you can often sign up for. There’s about a teaspoon or two in each packet.

2. Fill the bottle with warm water and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds until conditioner is well mixed with the water.

3. Spay on wet or dry hair to help remove tangles.

And that’s it, folks. See? I told you it was super simple!

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Shared Jan 26, 2012 comment

Gluten-Free Garbanzo Bean Blondies

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So, I saw a recipe for Garbanzo Bean Blondies on Pinterest the other day. I just happened to have all of the ingredients and found the idea so intriguing that I whipped some up after dinner last night.

My children were all confused as to why I was blending up garbanzo beans in the VitaMix. In fact, Silas (2 1/2) saw me dump them in and immediately hollered out, “Ewwww!”

But no one turned up their noses at the finished result. They were different than a typical blondie–not quite as sweet and a bit of a different texture. But they were yummy, especially for being gluten-free and fairly healthful.

Have you tried any interesting recipes recently? I’d love to hear about it!

Shared Jan 26, 2012 comment

We Paid Cash: A Freezer

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A testimony from Christina who blogs at Youthful Homemaker

I love freezer cooking. When we were newly married, my husband was amazed at how much I used the freezer. It quickly became apparent that the freezer attached to the refrigerator was too small, so our first major purchase as a married couple was a small chest freezer.

A few years later, we still used the little chest freezer daily, but we decided to change the way we bought meat. Instead of paying a premium at the grocery store, we bought a portion of a whole cow and kept it in our freezer.

This saved us hundreds of dollars, but meant we had little to no space in the freezer for other meals. So we made the decision to buy a new, bigger freezer and began saving for it immediately.

We tightened our budget by doing several little things, but they really added up:

We used coupons: I absolutely love to coupon and actually enjoyed trying to save ourselves even more money than the usual coupon savings.

We cut out expensive foods: Energy drinks and soda can really add up, so cutting these out of our budget really helped lower our grocery budget.

We cut our restaurant budget in half: Our restaurant budget had been around $80 a month, however, we decided to cut it in half and use out Restaurant.com gift certificates I got for free from Swagbucks to eat out without spending a lot.

We cut back on utilities: Lowering our electricity bill was where we saved the most money, and was by far the easiest thing we did.

It was not always fun to not be on a tighter budget than usual, but it was not as bad as we thought. Ultimately, it was a blessing because we learned (yet again) that we can usually find fun alternatives to our less-frugal habits.

In the end, we didn’t even use the money we’d saved to buy a freezer. My husband and I are college students and I had spent a lot of time applying for scholarships and grants. During the fall semester in 2010, we were blessed to have a lot more grants and scholarships than we expected.

It was very tempting for us to spend money on luxuries because we had been living on a ‘beans and rice, rice and beans’ budget. We did end up spending some money to pamper ourselves, but we used most of the money to buy an inexpensive freezer. My husband visited some of our local scratch-and-dent stores and found a commercial-grade freezer for only a quarter of its retail value!

It was a huge blessing to have a freezer paid for with the time I spent applying for scholarships. We put the money we had originally saved by cutting some areas in our budget toward our emergency fund.

Christina Wong is a young wife who writes a blog about no-drama homemaking on a budget. She loves finding ways to save money and live as frugally as possible, while still having fun. You can read more of her adventures in homemaking on her website Youthful Homemaker.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

Shared Jan 25, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself Experiment: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Hundreds of you have raved about Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I bought the book months ago, read it in Spring, and have since been trying out making the bread recipes.

The concept is simple: you take a few minutes to mix up some ingredients. You don’t knead the bread and instead let it rest for at least a few hours and then you can refrigerate it for up to two weeks to have fresh Artisan Bread with less than five minutes’ worth of work at any given time.

Truthfully, I was confused over the directions when I read the book the first time. I read and re-read the first chapter to figure out exactly what I was supposed to do with the dough once I made it.

I finally came across Mandy’s video (above) on how to make artisan bread and it all became much more clear. {Yes, I’m a visual learner if there ever was one!}

The bread was extremely easy to make, just like you all have been telling me. However, the first batch was way, way too salty. I followed the directions carefully and was quite disappointed in how it turned out. {Edit: I did use table salt instead of kosher salt the first time around and I’m guessing that could have been much of the issue.}

It looked beautiful, but it tasted gross. So gross, in fact, that I threw out the baked bread and the rest of the dough. And I was rather discouraged about the whole thing. This bread was supposed to revolutionize my baking. Instead, I threw it out. Um, that’s not exactly what I was envisioning with this recipe.

But then I read online where someone suggested cutting the salt in half. I did that and it was a lot better.

(Note: I didn’t use a baking stone (I don’t have one) or the steam method on these loaves. I think that’s why they look undercooked, even though I baked them the full amount of time. I’m going to keep experimenting and am hoping I can land on the perfect amazing bread you all keep talking about!)

I have yet to dub Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day as the next best thing to sliced bread and I won’t be making it exclusively as I have a number of other bread recipes I really love, but I think the concept is fascinating, the bread is undeniably easy to make, and it’s definitely a recipe I’ll be adding to our regular bread recipes line-up.

Have you tried the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Recipe? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought of it! (And feel feel to chime in on suggestions for me on what I’m doing wrong and how I can improve! I really want to make the beautiful loaves that the book pictures!)

Coming up tomorrow: My Homemade Detangler experiment.

Shared Jan 25, 2012 comment

Reader Tip: How I Organize My Spices

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Sharon from Mom on Dealz emailed in the following tip:

2012 is here! And with the New Year comes the need to throw out the old and organize what’s left. Around the New Year, I also like to identify small areas of my home that can be easily altered to make my life easier.

One area I focused on this year is the cupboard area above my stove. The cupboards are where we have stored our spices and seasonings since we moved into the house. Due to my 5’2″ height, every time I cook, this spot has been a nuisance to me. The contents are very difficult to reach and despite always keeping the most used items up front, at least once a week I have to grab a stool to reach something.

I finally decided to do something about it and am shocked that such a small organizational project has streamlined and improved my life so much. My big problem was simply (and cheaply) solved by one item — an over-the-door shoe rack!

As you can see I made labels and put them on each slot in alphabetical order. I even had some open slots at the bottom that I have filled with miscellaneous items and the very bottom row has become my sons’ snacking slots. I am loving this easy solution so much I am already planning other uses for future shoe racks! -Sharon

Have you ever used a shoe rack to organize items other than your shoes? I would love to hear more ideas!

Sharon is a wife and stay at home mom to her 2 amazing and very active boys. She also blogs at Momondealz where she helps her readers use coupons, freebies, and giveaways to stay within their budget. Her background as a former elementary school teacher also helps provide her fans with kids crafts that are educational, fun, and frugal!

Shared Jan 25, 2012 comment

Ask the Readers: How do you keep track of passwords?

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Debbie:

As hard as I have tried to keep my password the same for most freebie links and websites, there is often a slightly different format required. It may be a minimum of six or eight characters, at least one capitalization, at least one number, etc. Inevitably, I waste time by requesting to reset my password which usually ends up to be another slight variation of the same password.

Other than documenting each website and password, I’m at a loss. Any advice as to how to keep track of my passwords would greatly help! -Debbie

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Click here to download!

Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

Tonight’s Target Shopping Trip

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Silas and I made a quick trip to Target tonight while Jesse took the girls out. Here’s what we bought:

1 Kre-O Transformers Optimus Prime Set at $7.99
Use $8/1 Kre-O Transformers Optimus Prime Construction set printable coupon
Free after coupon

6 Market Pantry canned soup at $0.64 each
Used 2 $1/3 Target coupons
$0.31 per can after coupon

2 packages of Market Pantry cough drops at $1.36 each
Used 2 $1/1 Target coupons
$0.36 per bag after coupons

6 Hunt’s Canned Tomatoes (14.5 oz.) at $1.14 each
Used 2 $1/3 Target coupons
Stack with 2 $1/3 Hunts Tomatoes printable coupons
$0.48 per can after coupons

4 bags of Market Pantry frozen broccoli at $0.99 each
Used $1/4 Target coupon
$0.84 per bag after coupon

2 Bear Naked Soft Baked Cookies at $2.99
Use $2/1 Bear Naked coupon
$0.99 each after coupon

2 blocks of Market Pantry cheese at $2.49 each
Used 2 $1/1 Target coupons
$1.49 each after coupons

Total with tax: $14.79

I was disappointed that our Target didn’t have the free single rolls of paper towels and were still out of the free macaroni & cheese, but I was excited to find a Kre-O Transformers set on the shelf!

Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself Experiment: Homemade Marshmallows

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Ever since watching Carrie’s video on making Homemade Marshmallows, I’ve wanted to give it a try myself.

And I finally did in December.

I used this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and found the step-by-step photos extremely helpful. I also found that my KitchenAid from my grandma was a huge help, too. In fact, I thought the recipe was quite easy to make, but I think it would have been a lot more time-consuming without the KitchenAid.

The end result was delicious homemade marshmallows that my whole family oohed and ahhed over.

They weren’t necessarily money-saving or time-saving to make, but I think they’d make a very fun and unique gift–especially when paired with a homemade hot cocoa mix.

Next time, I want to try making these Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows.

Up tomorrow: The long-awaited details on my Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day experiment.

Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

Behind-the-scenes details on writing a book & the lessons I learned the hard way

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I was interviewed by ShePosts recently about writing The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget.

If you’d like to get a little peek behind-the-scenes into when I wrote the book, what I learned during the process, and some of the mistakes I made, hop on over to read the interview.

Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

How to Save Money at Whole Foods Market

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Nora of The Dollar Hollering Homemaker

If you normally shop at traditional grocery stores, you might face sticker shock if you visit Whole Foods Market. In general, prices are much more expensive, but I have discovered some tips for saving money at Whole Foods:

1. Check the Ad.

Locate the closest Whole Foods store on WholeFoods.com and see what your store specials are.

2. Pick up the “Whole Deal” coupon book.

Over the summer, they had a coupon where if you bought a rotisserie chicken, you could get a family size side for free. I also found a coupon for a free box of organic tea.

3. Sign up for the e-mail lists and subscribe to the Facebook page.

You will be notified of one-day-only sales and 3-day-only sales where you can really stock up. I’ve been able to get organic, grass-fed beef for $3.99 per lb and organic berries for $2 per lb. You can also sign up in the store deals section of MoneySavingMom.com to get the best deals at Whole Foods emailed to you each week.

4. Buy in bulk.

Whole Foods offers 10% case discounts when you buy in bulk. Case discounts can be combined with coupons for even better savings.

5. Compare prices.

Organic corn tortillas are $0.99 at Whole Foods and typically $0.20-$1.00 more expensive any place else. However, I tend to get bacon, sea salt, whole wheat, and white flour from other stores as the prices for those at Whole Foods aren’t as great.

6. Shop infrequently.

I shop at Whole Food’s every 4-6 weeks, unless there is an excellent one-day sale.

7. Remember that organic isn’t always better.

I always buy grass-fed beef, and if I’m not buying it directly from the farmer, Whole Foods is the next best choice because their beef is local.

That being said, I rarely buy produce at Whole Foods. They may have organic tomatoes, but they traveled here from Mexico and taste like cardboard. In my area, we have a great grocery store chain that carries local produce that is much more flavorful and tends to be lower on pesticides because it isn’t traveling as far.

If you don’t have a great local chain, try farmers’ markets and CSA’s. In addition to saving money, buying local means that I am supporting local farmers and businesses.

8. Stick with the basics.

Don’t spend all your money on the organic boxed/processed stuff. Generally speaking, it isn’t much healthier for you than the stuff you pick up in the regular store. If you are going to splurge on junk food, get what you really want and save your dough.

9. Save time.

To me, time is money. If I buy bread at Whole Foods, they’ll slice it for you for free. Same goes for meat: you can get it cut to order or ground for you. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of something that saves time and is free?

10. Bring your own bag.

Whole Foods gives you a discount for bringing your own reusable bag. You might as well take advantage of this!

How do you save money at Whole Foods?

Nora Duvigneaud is a twenty-something homemaker and D.C. native, residing in the Midwest. When she is not in her kitchen she loves hiking, old school mystery shows and simple living. She blogs at The Dollar Hollering Homemaker.

Shared Jan 24, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself: Homemade Frozen Waffles

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Whisk Together shows you how to make homemade frozen waffles .

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

How Are You Doing on Your Goals for 2012?

This gave me a $275 credit towards a new set of tires!

So remember…

Homemade Hair Detangler

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

1. Check the Ad.

2. Pick up the “Whole Deal” coupon book.

3. Sign up for the e-mail lists and subscribe to the Facebook page.

4. Buy in bulk.

5. Compare prices.

6. Shop infrequently.

7. Remember that organic isn’t always better.

8. Stick with the basics.

9. Save time.

10. Bring your own bag.

How do you save money at Whole Foods?

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